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Journal and News Scan

Source: The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
Author(s): Puja Gaur Khaitan, MD, Andrew M. Vekstein, MD, Dylan Thibault, MS, Andrzej Kosinski, PhD, Matthew G. Hartwig, MD, Mark Block, MD, Henning Gaissert, MD, Andrea S. Wolf, MD, MPH

This study set out to analyze the shifting surgical approach and outcomes in esophagectomy using The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Surgery Database. The authors found that over the past decade, the dominant approach has changed to be overwhelmingly minimally invasive. While there are still complications resulting from these methods, they have not raised operative mortality. 

Source: European Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Author(s): Yaron Shargall, MD, Wojtek Wiercioch, PhD, MSc, Alessandro Brunelli, MD, Sudish Murthy, MD, PhD, Wayne Hofstetter, MD, Jules Lin, MD, Hui Li, MD, PhD, Lori-Ann Linkins, MD, MSc, Marc Crowther, MD, MSc, Roger Davis, Gaetano Rocco, MD, Gian Paolo Morgano, PhD, MSc, Finn Schünemann, MD, Giovanna Muti-Schünemann, MD, James Douketis, MD, Holger J Schünemann, MD, PhD, MSc, Virginia R Litle, MD

Thoracic oncology patients are a high-risk group for venous thromboembolism (VTE). The ESTS and AATS panel reviewed the evidence using the GRADE approach and made twenty-four recommendations for VTE prophylaxis, focusing on pharmacological and mechanical methods. The certainty surrounding the evidence for VTE prevention in thoracic surgery was generally low. Conditional recommendations were made concerning parenteral anticoagulation, extended prophylaxis and VTE screening. The need for further research on preoperative thromboprophylaxis and risk stratification in extended prophylaxis was identified.

Source: Annals of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Author(s): Veronica Manolache, Natalia Motas, Mugurel Liviu Bosinceanu, Mercedes de la Torre, Javier Gallego-Poveda, Joel Dunning, Mahmoud Ismail, Akif Turna, Marina Paradela, Georges Decker, Ricard Ramos, Johanes Bodner, Dionisio Espinosa Jimenez, Patrick Zardo, Alejandro Garcia-Perez, Anna Ureña Lluveras, Daniel Pantile, Diego Gonzalez-Rivas

This multicenter retrospective study aimed to compare the outcomes of uniportal robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (U-RATS) with multiportal robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (M-RATS). The authors found that, although both methods have a low thirty-day morbidity and mortality rate, U-RATS has a lower operative duration and length of postoperative hospital stay.

Source: DocWire News
Author(s): Patrick Daly

This population-based study used data to develop clinical models that predict the length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay after cardiac surgery. These updated models, based on certain risk factors that tend to lengthen time in the ICU, predicted length of stay within two days in the validation cohort.

Source: NBC News
Author(s): Kaitlin Sullivan and Kate Snow

A surgical team at Northwestern Medicine has successfully performed two double lung transplants in patients with stage 4 lung cancer. Their method evolved from treatment of COVID-19 patients who needed double lung transplants. This technique allows both lungs to be replaced at once to avoid the spread of cancer from the diseased lung to the donor lung.

Source: Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery
Author(s): Hugo Issa, Mimi Deng, Kenza Rahmouni, Vincent Chan

Surgical mitral valve repair is the gold standard treatment for mitral regurgitation due to degenerative disease. Repair is performed on the arrested heart, meaning that assessments of success can only be made after removal of cardiopulmonary bypass. The saline test remains an integral part of repair, however, its hemodynamics have not been evaluated. The authors present a simple technique to quantify the saline test. The authors note that the saline test may be less informative in cases where the maximum left ventricle diastolic pressure is low.

Source: Medical Device News Magazine
Author(s): Medical Device News Magazine Staff
After pioneering the development of minimally invasive lung transplant surgery, a team at Cedars-Sinai hospital has now performed a groundbreaking robotic-assisted lung transplant. This technique allows for a shorter recovery time for the patient and better visualization and precision for the surgeons.
Source: European Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Author(s): Max Shin, Amit Iyengar, Mark R Helmers, John J Kelly, Cindy Song, David Rekhtman, Marisa Cevasco
In 2018, the United States network for organ sharing modified its heart allocation policy. Against a background of declining heart-lung transplantation, the authors investigated the effect of the new policy on outcomes for combined heart-lung transplant patients. A total of 511 adult patients were included between 2012 and 2021. Procedures at high-volume centers were associated with decreased mortality. The authors concluded that the policy change has improved waitlist outcomes. Despite increases in both ischemic times and ECMO use, early survival post-transplant was unchanged.
Source: The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
Author(s): Samuel J. Macalister, MD, Edward Buratto, MBBS, PhD, Phillip S. Naimo, MD, Xin Tao Ye, MD, Nicholas Fulkoski, Robert G. Weintraub, MBBS Christian P. Brizard, MD, and Igor E. Konstantinov, MD, PhD
This study reviewed records to establish how primary complete repair of pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect (PA-VSD) compares with staged repair. It was found that the survival rates of both methods are high, although the use of smaller shunts has resulted in earlier complete repair and is associated with increased risk of morbidity.
Source: Medpage Today
Author(s): Sophie Putka

A retrospective study found that women continue to have a higher mortality and morbidity rate after CABG compared with men. This has historically been the case, as women are often referred to surgery later than men and have more cardiovascular risk factors. Researchers emphasize that since this trend has not changed, there needs to be greater action to increase the quality of care for women who require CABG surgery. Read the original study, published in JAMA Surgery.

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